119 miles with 2,660' of climbing
Happy Fourth of July! For us, it was just another day on the bike...a really long, hard day on the bike. Due to the number of miles that lie ahead, Gail and I prepared our bikes last night, thinking that we would shove off early. We had planned to meet the sisters (Jane and Katie) and, of course, Drew our constant companion. However, Drew confided in me that he had gone to the hospital last night due to food poisoning. Poor guy was hurting! We pushed off at 6:30 in a great pace line, pulling for 2-mile stretches each. Things were going fairly smoothly for me until mile 25 when I found myself really fatigued. I was so happy to see our SAG at mile 33. Once we reached mile 40, I seriously doubted my ability to finish today's ride. I couldn't figure out what in the heck was wrong with me? Why was I exhausted? At that point, the conditions weren't that bad, yet I could barely hang on let alone pull! At mile 53, I finally confided in the others by telling them that I was really struggling and would need to skip my pull. It was at that point that someone who had joined our line said, "Ann, you basically have a flat tire." Sure enough, my tire was inflated only to the point that the tire wasn't touching the rim. I had been riding for 53 miles with severely under-inflated tires, and I was totally spent. Someone gave me enough CO2 to get to the next SAG (mile 61) and I hobbled in. However, instead of eating and resting, I assisted Judy with the tube change. Here's my hero....
While everyone else ate, I gobbled down a "Bonk Buster" bar, refilled my bottles, and was back on the bike. I could have sent the others on, but to lose the pace line would have been suicidal. The wind was now a direct headwind. I did my best to hang on/pull, but it was one of the hardest things I have ever done! Finally, we arrived to our hotel where Gail and I went straight to the restaurant to eat and drink. There's no doubt that I was suffering from dehydration. Here's a photo of what my bike shorts looked like....(check out the salt deposits).
Today, brings to a close segment 2 out of 5 of the trip. Unfortunately, we must say good-bye to 7 cyclists who cannot finish the journey due to work commitments, etc. Among those leaving are Kees (strongest cyclist from The Netherlands) and Ronit (from Israel). Tomorrow is a much-needed day of rest. Thank goodness!
I leave you with a picture of Steven who as you can see is very patriotic. Once again, Happy Independence Day!
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